LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC Riverside blazed ahead with a 2-0 set lead, but ultimately dropped a 3-2 decision to UC San Diego on Friday night at LionTree Arena. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UCR started on the right foot with an early 4-1 lead as Mylei Vargas-Deason paved the way with three kills and her 500th career dig, needing just one to reach the milestone. 
• UC San Diego crept back into the set however, calling time down just four with a 21-17 score in favor of UC Riverside. UCR finished out the set one win, hitting .281 to UC San Diego's .077. 
• The dominance continued in set two, as UCR forced a timeout with a 5-1 lead before stretching it to 7-1. Vargas-Deason's seventh kill of the night gave the Highlanders a 17-7 lead, but UC San Diego rattled off four straight points out of a timeout to force a breather from UCR. The Highlanders out-hit UC San Diego .533 to .125 in a 25-12 win. 
• UC San Diego's offense found its legs in set three, however. The Tritons turned a one-point deficit into its first lead of the night at 8-7 before UCR tied it back up at 10 on an attack error. 
• UC San Diego kept its foot on the gas and forced a fourth set with a 25-18 win despite Vargas-Deason and Sophia Ewalefo each reaching 11 kills. The Tritons then forced a fifth set with a 25-14 win in set four. 
• UCR was slow to find its footing in set five, but tied it at seven on Ewalefo's 13th kill of the night. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• UCR enjoyed a pair of wire-to-wire wins in sets one and two, out-hitting the Tritons .403 to .099 entering set three. 
• Vargas-Deason reached 10+ kills for the third match in her last five with a team-high 17 on Friday. The senior registered her second Big West double double of the season by adding 19 digs, and has now put up a double double in two of her last three matchups with UC San Diego. 
• Vargas-Deason has also now led the Highlanders outright in kills in four of UCR's last five matches with three 10-kill performances in that span. 
• Four Highlanders recorded at least 10 digs for the evening as UCR racked up 82 on Friday in La Jolla, one shy of tying a season high. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside is back in action on Saturday, October 14 with a 7:00 p.m. first serve at Long Beach State on ESPN+.